Emergency Services Respond to 'Major Incident' Following Explosion in Leicester0:57

Leicestershire Police and emergency services responded to what they described as a ‘major incident’ after a reported explosion rocked Hinckley Road in Leicester, England, on the evening of February 25. Information about any potential injuries was not immediately available, according to police, but added that Hinckley Road was closed “between the junctions of Mostyn Street and Carlisle Street.” Credit: Graeme Hudson via Storyful

February 26th 2018

22 days ago

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Scenes of the explosion which has demolished a shop and flat in Leicester. Pictures: Social MediaSource:Supplied

FIVE people have died in an explosion that caused the collapse of a building in Leicester, a city in central England.

Officials said Monday that another five people were treated at a local hospital and more people may be missing.

A search and rescue operation is continuing. Superintendent Shane O’Neill of Leicestershire Police says the building where the incident happened consisted of a shop and a two-story apartment above it.

The building collapsed after the explosion and was engulfed in flames. Police declared a major incident and evacuated neighbors as a precaution. The cause has not yet been established. Police say it does not appear to be related to terrorism.

Matt Cane from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said there are still “pockets of fire” in the basement of the building.

“We have a significant number of specialist search and rescue teams who are supported by two search dogs,” he said. “It may be some days yet before we will be able to establish the probable cause of the explosion.”

Leicester is 180 kilometres north of London.

Leicestershire Police initially asked the public to stay away from the road where the explosion happened while first responders tended to what was described as a “major incident.”

The department said on its website about three hours later there was no indication the emergency was terror-related.

Local media reports witnesses as hearing a heavy explosion and photos and video posted on Twitter and Facebook show an intense fire in a building in the residential street.

“It’s blown the shop across both sides of lanes and there is carnage everywhere. It rattled doors and windows here,” one witness told The Mirror.

A Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “This is a search and rescue at the moment. It is unknown if people are injured or trapped.”

The affected property was a two floor building with a loft conversion that had suffered a “pancake collapse”, she added.

Residents stand in the street overlooking the scene of the explosion in Leicester city. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

The Western Park Convenience Store, at the seat of the blast, is believed to have been open at the time of the explosion.

Sixty surrounding homes were evacuated.

Jonny Halliwell told The Mirror he joined people running down the street immediately after the blast to see if they could help. “People grabbed blankets and ran towards the fire to try to help people. There was rubble and shop fittings everywhere. I saw people pulling up chunks of rubble and searching for people underneath ...

“The shop was open until 10pm so there would have been people in there at the time”

Debris can be seen spilling over the Leicester city street. Picture: FacebookSource:Supplied

Another witness tweeted: “The Polish shop next to the bus stop has blown up. Avoid the area. Roads closed and lots of sirens in attendance. Smoke everywhere.”

Julie Dexter, 56, told The Sun online: “It felt like the house was falling down. I was scared to death. The sound — I thought it was a bomb! There’s just glass everywhere, the road is full of debris, there’s plumes of smoke. I had just gone to wash my hair — I ‘d just dried it and then everything just shook. The doors, windows — the whole house just shook.”

Scene of the explosion in Leicester: A) Western Park Store on Hinckley Road, Leicester.Source:News Corp Australia

| Major Incident |

19:19 |There has been a major incident on Hinckley Road, Leicester. All emergency services are currently dealing with this. Carlisle Street and part of Hinckley Road have been closed Please avoid the area.